Django!

SteveAudio links to this fabulous video of legendary guitarist Django Reinhardt:

His spectacular playing, even by today’s standards, is technically breathtaking. But when the truth is revealed, that he did most of his soloing using only the first two fingers of his fingerboard hand, his dexterity seems impossible. His ring and little finger were damaged in a fire when he was young, and thus, other than a little use during chording, those fingers were useless. His facile playing is thus even more amazing.

There’s something refreshing about the natural purity and grace in Reinhardt’s acoustic music, especially after all of the electronic/ambient stuff I’ve been listening to recently. Via